Colorado Christmas. C.C. Coburn

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СКАЧАТЬ to disappoint a lot of people. No, more than that, you’re going to hurt them because they believe in you.”

      “I told you I’m here to stay. Why do you doubt me?”

      “Because I know your past record! And when it finally gets through your thick skull that the judge isn’t interested, you’ll head off to the ends of the earth on another harebrained adventure.”

      Will was about to repeat that he was here to stay, but Matt was on a roll.

      “You breeze into town, stopping for a few days, before you fly off to make yet another movie in some far-off location,” Matt ranted. “You’ve never shown any interest in sticking with anything worthwhile. Why change now?”

      Although his tirade stung, Matt was right. Not so long ago, Will wouldn’t have been ready to hear it, or to agree with Matt. But his brush with death had changed Will’s view of the world and his place in it. The avalanche had made him realize the carefree days of his extended youth were over. Did he really want to spend his life flying around the world, engaging in increasingly more daring stunts, living out of a suitcase? The answer was a resounding no.

      He’d come home—to the certain safety of Spruce Lake—determined to settle in his hometown. Unfortunately, he hadn’t figured out how he’d make a living here. The judge had underlined something he already knew: Apart from being able to ski near-vertical cliffs, he didn’t have any real skills. And therefore no alternative career prospects.

      However, discovering that the old buildings were threatened with demolition had confirmed Spruce Lake was an intrinsic part of him and saving them was a cause worth fighting for. “I won’t have our town’s heritage destroyed by a bunch of shiny Tonka toys!” he declared.

      “That’s what you say now. Next week might be a different story.”

      Will gritted his teeth. “I said I’m here to stay.”

      “Fine.” Matt’s curled lip told Will he doubted his convictions. “If you’re as determined as you claim to be, I’ll do whatever I can. And if you’re so hell-bent on dating the judge, then let me talk to her on your behalf. I’ll tell her you’re a generally well-behaved citizen who’s temporarily taken leave of his senses. She’d believe it coming from me. She might even let you date her, then.”

      She probably would, but that’d be cheating. His big brother couldn’t help sticking up for him. Protecting him—protecting anyone—came naturally to Matt.

      “Thanks for the offer, but I want to win her over myself. She’s already intrigued. Soon, she won’t be able to resist me, you’ll see.”

      “And you figured this out in your brief yet humiliating encounter this morning?” Matt shook his head. “Your overconfidence astounds me, Will. And the protest, what about that? And your job? The one you pretended you don’t have? What was that about, saying you’re ‘between jobs’? And speaking of your job, you’ve been here nearly two weeks. It’s winter in case you hadn’t noticed. Prime ski-movie shooting season.”

      Will disregarded Matt’s sarcasm. “Like I said in court, I quit the movies.” He held up his hands to allay Matt’s questions as to why. “SOB will keep me busy.” When he saw Matt about to argue, he said, “I’m not going to suddenly take off, okay?”

      Matt leaned against his vehicle. “Do you have a plan—apart from continuing to vandalize the development company’s property?”

      “I do.”

      “And?”

      Pleased by Matt’s interest, he said, “I’m holding a fundraising barbecue.”

      Matt’s raised eyebrows told Will what he thought of that. “And plan B would be?”

      “There is no plan B! What’s wrong with plan A?”

      Matt indicated the snow-covered street. “It’s winter. No one has barbecues in the middle of winter.”

      “All the more reason to have one. People hankering for barbecue will come from all over.”

      “And where do you plan to hold this event? Close off Main Street like they do during the summer barbecue festival? You’ll need a permit and we both know how much you hate dealing with bureaucracy.”

      “Don’t need one if we hold it at the ranch.”

      Matt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Running it by Luke will be harder than getting a permit from the town. Good luck with that.” He pushed away from his vehicle. “Do you want a ride somewhere?”

      “Thanks, but I need to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. Then I’ll walk over to the Twilight Years and start my community service.”

      Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “Good idea. I can’t fault your work ethic, buddy, but I wish you were a bit more conventional.”

      Will raised his hands in jest. “Then I’d be like you.”

      Matt let the mild insult go as he shook Will’s hand, then climbed into his vehicle and lowered the window. “I just had a thought.”

      “You, Matt O’Malley, had a spontaneous moment?”

      Matt started his car. “Okay, if you’re going to be insulting, I’ll go.”

      Will reached in and switched off the ignition. “Sorry, couldn’t stop myself.” He leaned on the door frame and said, “Shoot.”

      “You know that ranch land you bought ten years back?”

      “Yup.”

      “I think you’ll find it’s appreciated considerably in value.”

      Will was lost. “Meaning?”

      “Meaning that if you’re serious about saving those buildings, then get the land valued. You might be able to sell it and raise enough to buy the buildings from the development company yourself.”

      “You’re joking.”

      “Have you ever known me to joke?”

      Good point. “But this is crazy. I paid peanuts for it.”

      “Times have changed. You might be surprised by what it’s worth.”

      “Nice idea. But I’m keeping the land as a wildlife corridor. Where would the elk graze and the bears collect berries to get them through the winter and the lynx hunt if I sold it? I couldn’t have some rancher fencing it off, grazing cows and horses and shooting anything that eats the grass—or the livestock.”

      “You know as well as I do it’s too small to be a viable ranch, but in the past couple of years they’ve started developing ranchettes for people who want to be near a town but also want the luxury of extra land. That valley is the prettiest around and people would pay a premium to live there.”

      Ranchettes? Will shuddered. “Even if I could raise the money to buy the buildings—provided the development company would consider selling them—I’d have the problem of a bunch of disgruntled elk and bears.” He ignored Matt’s sardonic СКАЧАТЬ